Alzheimers disease Flashcards
(37 cards)
What is dementia?
A chronic and progressive decline of intellect and behaviour that causes gradual restriction of daily living activities.
What is the most common type of dementia?
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type, accounting for roughly 60–70% of cases
What happens to the risk of dementia as people age?
The risk of dementia increases with age.
What is the definition of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)
A degenerative brain disease, which follows extensive damage to the cerebral cortex.
Name some risk factors for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Risk factors include age, family history, cardiovascular health, low education, and the APOE-ε4 allele
According to Braak staging, where does the spread of Alzheimer’s pathology typically begin?
The spread starts in the medial temporal lobe
Name brain regions that often show atrophy in Alzheimer’s disease.
Atrophy is commonly seen in the medial temporal lobe (especially hippocampus), posterior cingulate, and parietal cortex
What pattern of brain activity might be observed on an FDG-PET scan in someone with AD?
Hypometabolism in the posterior parietal and temporal regions
Briefly describe the Amyloid Cascade Hypothesis.
The accumulation of amyloid-β leads to tau pathology, neuroinflammation, and eventually neuronal death
What is a key criticism of the Amyloid Cascade Hypothesis?
It doesn’t fully explain why many elderly individuals have amyloid plaques without showing signs of dementia
What does the Cognitive Reserve Theory suggest?
People with higher education, complex occupations, and enriched environments can tolerate more brain pathology before exhibiting dementia symptoms
What is a limitation of the Cognitive Reserve Theory?
It is hard to measure “reserve” precisely, and the evidence is more correlational than causal
What is often an early cognitive sign of Alzheimer’s disease, particularly in memory?
Episodic memory impairment, especially delayed recall, is common in the early stage
Besides memory, what other cognitive domains are often affected in early AD?
Semantic fluency and visuospatial deficits (e.g., getting lost) are often present
What cognitive changes are more typical of the middle to late stages of AD?
Worsening of language, attention, orientation, and the emergence of behavioural issues and personality changes
How do the genetics of early-onset and late-onset AD differ?
Early-onset AD (<65) is rare and often caused by autosomal dominant genes (APP, PSEN1, PSEN2). Late-onset AD is more common, with the APOE-ε4 allele being a key risk gene
Name some cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
CSF markers include:
Decreased plasma amyloid B, increased total tau, and increased phospho-tau
What might structural MRI reveal in a person with Alzheimer’s disease?
Hippocampal atrophy
What cognitive task is often impaired early in AD and can be used as an early detection tool?
Semantic fluency (e.g., naming animals) is often impaired early
What type of memory task involving visual information is sensitive to early AD?
Visual short-term memory binding tasks, testing the ability to bind visual features
What is the primary aim of current symptomatic treatments for Alzheimer’s disease?
To provide small to moderate relief of symptoms, not to alter the progression of the disease
What is a major challenge or controversy surrounding recent attempts at disease-modifying treatments like anti-amyloid antibodies?
Limited efficacy, high cost, side effects, and unclear clinical benefit are major concerns
Why might traditional global cognitive tests like the MMSE not be ideal for early AD detection?
They may not be sensitive enough to detect subtle early changes or differentiate AD from normal ageing
What are the effects of damage in the cerebral cortex?
Gradual loss of higher cognitive functions and changes in personality and behaviour.
